Family Secrets
by redrose7856
Summary: When Nell and Callen go missing, the team has to delve into the past of their youngest team member in order to find them, while Callen is forced on a deadly mission with Nell's life in the balance.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles. If I did, I'd know what the 'G' stood for.**

**A/N: Please do not flame this, and please do enjoy!**

Callen yawned as he slung his duffel bag near his desk. Across from him, Kensi's head was down on her desk, her brown ponytail splayed out across the back of her neck. Deeks, sitting beside her, looked downright perky as he chugged a Red Bull. Sam stared at him, looking disgusted.

"Do you have any idea how much caffeine is in that thing?" he asked.

Deeks glanced at the nutrition facts on the can, shrugged and continued downing it.

"Enough to keep me awake," he said in between slurps.

"Yeah, and crash later," Sam muttered.

"Well worth it," Deeks assured him, tossing the now empty can into the trash can that, Callen noticed, already held several Red Bull cans.

"How many of those have you had?" he asked.

Deeks started counting in his head.

"Um…"

Callen shook his head and stood up.

"I'm getting coffee," he announced, nudging Sam. "You want some?"

"Yeah, sure," his partner answered, looking sternly at Deeks, whose quiet count was somewhere around "six". "You are gonna have a heart attack someday, you know that?"

As Deeks protested that he exercised regularly, Callen headed out of the bullpen area and to the break area. To his surprise, Nell was already there, stirring a cup of something, her back to him.

As always, the analyst looked cheerful and fully awake. Callen wondered what on earth she did to stay so alert. He nodded to her, reached for the coffee.

"Hey Agent Callen," she chirped, smiling at him.

"Morning Nell," he replied with a yawn. "Cofee?"

"No thanks," she replied, holding up her mug. "I've got my cider."

Callen raised an eyebrow.

"You drink cider?"

"Every day. Well, cider, tea or hot cocoa. Coffee's too bitter."

Nell's nose wrinkled and Callen smiled. Of course anything bitter would be dissatisfying to the sweet but sassy analyst.

"Well, if you need a Red Bull, Deeks bought out their entire supply," he told her, nodding back towards the bullpen.

"Ugh, Red Bull's give me jitters," she said with a shudder. "Trust me, it is _not_ fun to see me on an energy drink."

Callen chuckled as he tried to picture her even more hyped up.

His coffee mugs ready, he picked them up. Nell noticed – of course she did, she was almost as bad as Hetty – and smiled at him.

"Well, see you later, Agent Callen," she said before spinning around and heading back towards the Ops center. Callen watched her go, amused, and wondered how on earth they'd survived for so long without the red-haired pixie in the office.

He took the coffee back to Sam, who was still complaining about Deeks' Red Bull addiction.

"'Bout time you got back," he told Callen. "He's on another one."

"Come on," Deeks reasoned, waving a can in the air. "They're _so good_."

He suddenly froze, his grin fading. "And I've had a lot of them. Crap."

He scrambled up and sprinted towards the bathroom, nearly bowling over Hetty in his haste.

Callen and Sam laughed and clinked their mugs together.

"What in the name of Gucci was that about?" Hetty exclaimed, motioning towards Deeks.

"He drank a lot of Red Bulls," Callen explained.

"Does he _want_ to have a heart attack?" she asked.

"Apparently," Sam replied, standing up and going over to Kensi and gently shaking her. "Come on, Kens, up and at 'em."

With a groan, the brunette lifted her head, blinking tiredly at them.

"Coffee?" she asked hopefully.

"Better," Hetty said, coming forward and handing her a cup of tea. "It'll give you some energy without the crash that Mr. Deeks is certain to have in a few hours."

"Thanks, Hetty," Kensi said gratefully, taking the cup.

Callen nodded to her and then turned to Hetty.

"Any new cases?" he asked.

"Today has been declared a Catch-Up day," she informed him. "Unless there's an extreme emergency, you'll be staying here and catching up."

"Catching up on what?" Deeks asked, rejoining the conversation.

Hetty wordlessly pointed to the boxes of unfinished paperwork that sat near each desk. Callen's was, by far, the largest.

"The clock's ticking," she announced before turning and walking away.

Everyone groaned and grabbed one of their boxes.

"Another day in paradise," Callen sighed.

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles.**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for your reviews. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

"Is it lunch time yet?"

Callen bit back a groan. After Deeks had finally stopped making bathroom trips, he'd realized that someone would have to take a break from their paperwork to go get everyone else lunch. Deeks had already volunteered – several times.

"It's only eleven thirty," Kensi informed her partner. "Stop whining."

"I am not whining, I was just wondering. There's a difference between whining and wondering. It's in the dictionary," Deeks responded.

"No, really?" Kensi shot back, her voice dripping sarcasm. "Thank you _so much_ for enlightening me."

"Do you two always fight like this?" Sam asked.

"No," Kensi said firmly.

"Yes," Deeks argued.

As the two glared at each other, the group was interrupted as a fast food drink holder was plunked onto Callen's desk, accompanied by several fast food bags. He looked up, startled, and saw Nell sipping on a soda.

"Lunch time," she announced cheerfully, smiling at them.

"I thought I was going to get lunch," Deeks complained.

Nell looked at him and shrugged.

"Hetty told me to," she said by way of explanation.

"Of course she did," Callen muttered. The little ninja who served as their boss was almost psychic when it came to her team.

Nell smiled at them all a bit uneasily and then, with a little wave, turned and skipped off.

Callen watched her pause by Hetty's desk and tell the boss something before heading back up to Ops.

"She reminds me of Alice Cullen," Deeks announced, and it took Callen a few seconds to realize that the rest of the team were also watching Nell.

"Alice who?" Sam asked.

"Alice Cullen. You know, the vampire chick in Twilight?"

"You've read _Twilight_?" Kensi asked, wrinkling her nose a bit.

"Yeah. I was on a stakeout and those were the cheapest books in the bookstore," Deeks said defensively. "You know, they're not that bad, actually-"

"Deeks," Kensi snapped, holding up a hand. "Get back to the paperwork, OK?"

"Not until I've got food," Deeks retorted, leaping up from his chair and walking over to the food bags. "Oh, look, Nell labeled them. This one's Kensi's, this one's mine, here's yours Sam, and the last one is Callen's. "

He passed out bags and then went to his desk, flopping down again.

"You know, I was thinking," Callen began. "Anyone remember where Nell said she's from?"

"I don't think she ever said," Deeks replied.

"Not to me, she didn't," Sam added.

"Me either," Kensi seconded. "You know, it seems like she's always talking, but I don't really know that much about her."

"What _do_ we know about her?" Deeks wondered aloud.

"She's good with computers," Kensi listed.

"She's Catholic," Sam added. "I remember seeing her necklace once."

"She drinks cider," Callen remembered, thinking of his and Nell's conversation. "She doesn't like coffee or energy drinks."

"She drives a VW Beetle," Deeks said, counting on his fingers.

"According to Eric, she has borderline ADD, control issues with men she admires, and gets sarcastic at times," Kensi suggested.

There was silence in the bullpen as everyone's mental list ran out.

"I don't know anything else," Deeks said, sounding shocked.

"Neither do I," Kensi seconded.

"Our analyst is a mystery," Sam remarked as they all swiveled their chairs to peer up at the Ops center.

"As is the reason for the delay in paperwork," said an all-too familiar voice.

Callen winced as everyone swiveled back to face Hetty, who had appeared in the entrance.

"We were just taking a break," he told her.

"Eating lunch," Deeks added, holding up his burger like it was a personal shield.

"Multitasking is a marvelous thing, Mr. Deeks," Hetty replied. "Give it a try."

Deeks smiled nervously as he attempted to eat his burger without spilling any ketchup.

As soon as he'd succeeded, Hetty turned to the rest of the team. Sam and Kensi were already hard at work even as they ate fries and burgers. She turned lastly to Callen, who smiled cheerfully at her before taking a bite of his lunch as he crossed a T.

Hetty nodded, satisfied.

"Carry on," she said before walking off.

Callen dropped his pen on his desk, staring at his hand. Beside him, Sam groaned and rolled his shoulders.

"I think my hand's dead," Callen announced.

"I think my neck's sore," Sam retorted.

"Hey guys," Deeks said, walking up. "Want to go for a beer?"

"Yes," Sam said emphatically.

"Everyone going?" Callen asked.

"I think so. Hetty's in, Kensi went to ask Eric and Nell, and I asked you," Deeks answered with a shrug.

"Nell left," Sam pointed out. "Bout five minutes ago."

"She's probably still in the parking lot, I'll get her," Callen offered, lurching up from his seat and making his way towards the doors, his legs tingling after the long day of just sitting.

Yawning, he headed through the starlit lot, aiming for Nell's car.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own NCIS Los Angeles.  
**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for your reviews! They make me happy :)  
**

_Five Minutes Earlier_

Nell fished in her bag for her keys. Her cellphone buzzed and she glanced at the caller ID before shaking her head and refusing the call. That was drama she didn't need right now.

"Keys, keys, keys….Aha! There," she cried softly as her fingers touched metal.

As she tugged them out of her pocket, something suddenly grabbed her from behind. She opened her mouth to scream, but a handkerchief was pressed against her face, silencing her. As she inhaled the scent of the handkerchief, her vision grew blurry, and then dark.

_Present_

Callen stuck his hands in his pockets as he eyed the car bumpers of his teammates' cars. Hetty's, as expected, was bare. Sam's had some SEAL stuff, Kensi's had a "marine daughter" one, and Deeks had one that said, appropriately, "my dog looks like me".

Chuckling to himself, he headed on towards Nell's car.

Before he reached it, however, he saw a figure laying on the ground. To his horror, as he neared it, he recognized the hair: Nell.

"Nell!" he gasped, breaking into a run.

He dropped to his knees beside her, fingers searching for a pulse. She was alive, just unconscious. He lifted her into his lap, marveling at how light she was.

With his free hand, he reached for his phone. Just as his fingers touched it, he heard an all-too familiar clicking noise behind him.

"Easy," he said, not turning to face the person. "I'm taking out my gun and sliding it away. Nobody has to get hurt."

Silence. Callen shoved his gun away, hearing it bounce off Larry the desk jockey's tire as it skittered away into the darkness.

"Phone next."

The voice was male, and it was surprisingly husky. Callen nodded the tiniest bit and pulled out his phone. As he prepared to fling it away, the voice spoke again, "Wait. Silence it first."

One hand still holding Nell into place, Callen used his thumb to open his phone and instantly powered it down. After holding it up as proof, he tossed it over near Eric's Mini Cooper. "Now the girl's."

Feeling more awkward than he could remember feeling, Callen picked up Nell's bag and started to look through it for her phone.

He found it, bejeweled and vibrating. He studied the caller ID as he pushed the power button:

_Dad_

After tossing it away, Callen glanced at the young woman in his lap. Sure, he knew, deep down, that she had parents and a family and all that, but he'd never really thought about it.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Stand up," the voice ordered.

"Why?" Callen demanded, not moving.

The cold steel of a gun pressed into the back of his neck.

"We're going for a ride."

**Hope you enjoy! Please review if it strikes your fancy!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Again, don't own. Wish I did.**

**A/N: Thanks for your support and patience! Sorry for the lack of recent updates! Life's been...interesting!  
**

"Did Callen _walk_ to Nell's house, or something?" Deeks asked.

Eric looked at him. He was leaning back in his chair, tossing a tennis ball up in the air.

"It's probably taking him a while to find her car," Kensi suggested. "I mean, it's dark out there."

The excuse sounded thin. Callen knew everything of importance about his team, including Nell. It wouldn't take him that long to find her car.

"Maybe she'd left and he's trying to call her."

"We could just ask her to join us some other time," Deeks muttered.

Eric glared at him. Nell was, in his mind, well worth the wait.

Sam apparently thought so, too, because he snatched the tennis ball away from Deeks.

"The whole team is going for drinks," the ex-SEAL declared. "Nell is a part of that team. We wait for 'em."

"Can I have my ball back?" Deeks asked.

"No."

"Please?"

"No, Deeks."

"Please?"

"Has Mr. Callen found Miss Jones, yet?" Hetty asked, walking over all ready to go.

"Not yet," Kensi told her.

"Well someone should call him and tell him to hurry up," their boss suggested.

Sam sighed and pulled out his phone. As he dialed, Deeks leaned over to him.

"Please?"

"'A ride'?" Callen repeated. "And where, exactly, are we riding to?"

"Just get up."

Callen glanced down at Nell. Maybe he could put her in between her car and Deeks', so they'd find her-!

"Bring the girl."

Callen glanced back in surprise.

"Why?" he demanded.

The gun pressed into his spine, harder.

"Because I said so."

The rebel within Callen had to bite back a retort. "Because I said so" was one of his least favorite phrases.

Swallowing, he picked up Nell and stood. Her head instantly lolled against his chest, and he cursed whoever was doing this, putting the life of the innocent techie at risk.

"The black Prius," the voice said. "Ten o'clock."

On instinct, Callen's gaze shifted in that direction and he saw a car. Careful not to jostle Nell, he walked over to it. His captor, still behind him, reached around him to open the back door, and Callen caught a glimpse of a tattoo: a bird.

"Put her in the backseat."

Callen did as he was told, gently laying Nell down on the backseat and doing his best to buckle a seatbelt around her, just in case something happened.

"Front seat. You drive."

_A man of few words_, Callen thought as he climbed in and started hunting for the key. Maybe he could start the car and drive off before his captor could get in.

The passenger door opened and closed and a key was tossed into Callen's lap.

For the first time, he looked at his captor. The man was Hispanic, with short black hair and piercing brown eyes that held no emotion.

"Drive."

Callen gripped the key and adjusted the rearview mirror. He caught a glimpse of Nell and swallowed, hard.

He had to get them out of this.

**Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned NCIS: LA, but I don't. **

**A/N: In order to reward you all for your awesome patience, here's another chapter!  
**

Eric looked at his watch. The numbers, large and bold, told him what he already knew: something was wrong.

He glanced at the other members of the team. Deeks, despite having gotten his tennis ball back, was staring off into space, his face puckered into a frown. Occasionally he'd blink, look at the door, and then go back to staring into the distance.

Kensi was fiddling with the pen she'd used, tapping it, twirling it and clicking it. The sound was fairly annoying, but no one seemed to notice.

Sam was pacing from his desk to the hallway, as if he could use some sort of Super SEAL vision to see Callen and Nell coming.

Hetty stood at the entrance to the bullpen, her fingers steepled in front of her face as she thought.

"Mr. Hanna, Mr. Deeks, Miss Blye," she said at last. "Go find Mr. Callen and Miss Jones."

The trio shot up as if they'd been spring loaded. Kensi was buckling her gun on and Deeks was grabbing his jacket. In a flash, they were hurrying towards the doors.

Eric turned to Hetty.

"You think something happened?" he asked. "I mean, something bad?"

For a long moment, she was silent. Then, finally:

"I think, Mr. Beale, that we should begin to be concerned."

Callen kept glancing in the rearview mirror at Nell, who was still out. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to stay asleep or wake up. Both options were worrisome. He hadn't been around when Nell had taken her qualifying exam, but he couldn't picture her handling well under a lot of stress.

A gun pointed at her, her life endangered, that qualified as "a lot of stress".

Callen wished someone else was in the backseat: Sam, Kensi, Hetty, even Deeks would be preferable to the naïve analyst. They would've been able to handle the pressure of a gun being pointed at them.

For the moment, his captor held the gun on him, not Nell. That should've been a relief, but the way the guy kept glancing in the backseat set Callen on edge.

What did they want with him? Or, better yet, with Nell? The list of people who wanted Callen dead was longer than Santa Claus's Naughty and Nice lists combined, but the list of people targeting Nell must've been practically nonexistent.

He darted a glance at his captor, but the man was staring out the windshield, muttering to himself. Since the radio was off, it wasn't too hard to hear what he was saying.

"Shouldn't have grabbed the girl. It's a liability, bringing her with us. But could I have left her? H- no. The guy would've wanted to make sure that she was safe and besides, I wouldn't have had any leverage. Still, boss won't like me bringing the girl, but I couldn't do nothing different, now could I? Hopefully he won't notice she's missing. Maybe the boss can distract him, so he doesn't notice she's not around. Oh, if he sees she's gone, we're dead men."

"What are you talking about?" Callen demanded, if for no other reason than to shut the guy up.

The man's head snapped to the side and he glared at Callen.

"None of your business," he growled.

"Oh, I think it is. You _shouldn't_ have brought her? Why not? Who're you so afraid of?"

"Forget about it."

"Not until you tell me why you made me bring her along."

The gun was suddenly in his face.

"Shut up. Drive. And live," his captor said simply. "Got it?"

Callen let out a soft growl of his own and kept driving.

He glanced in the mirror again at Nell.

_What's your secret?_

**Please review!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Ha! I wish I owned this!**

**A/N: Thanks for your patience! Sorry I haven't updated, been busy.  
**

The streets were fairly empty. Callen kept an eye out for a cop, all the same. Maybe he could flash his lights or run a stop sign or something. Get the guy's attention and get some help.

His captor was watching the road. One the bright side, it meant he'd stopped staring at Nell. On the down side, it meant that he would probably be able to see a cop at the same time that Callen did.

A soft moan from the back drew Callen's attention, and he glanced in the rearview mirror.

Nell was waking up.

Callen glanced in the backseat and then flipped on his signal.

"What do you think you're doing?" his captor demanded.

"Pulling over," Callen responded. "Making sure she's OK."

The gun jabbed into his ribs.

"Nothing doing," the man snapped. "Drive."

"I need to check on her."

"She's fine."

Nell moaned again and Callen looked at the man.

"She sound 'fine' to you?" he growled.

The gun's safety clicked off.

"I said she's fine. You want her to see you get a hole in the side, keep pushing. Otherwise, turn off the signal."

Callen wordlessly flipped off the signal, earning him a puzzled look from a college-aged student who'd been waiting for him to pull out in front of her. He waved to her and she drove on by.

The gun was pulled back and rested against the Latino's leg and he nodded.

"Good, good. Your concern for your friend is commendable, but obviously self-preservation won out this time."

Callen bit his tongue to keep from snarling at the man.

"Your friend was given a light dose of chloroform," their captor announced. "She'll feel a bit woozy, but she'll be fine. I promise."

Callen shook his head.

"Why should I believe you?" he asked, glaring at the man.

His passenger smiled grimly.

"Because I don't have a death wish," he explained.

Callen stared at him. Did the guy think he'd kill him for hurting Nell? He would, in a heartbeat, but still, how could the guy know that?

"Who're you talking about?" he asked.

_Me? Sam? Hetty? Maybe Kensi and Deeks? Sure, we'd hurt you a lot, but kill?_

The man's grin widened.

"Your friend back there," he said conversationally. "She has a bigger safety net than even you and your NCIS friends can provide."

Callen stared at him. What the h- was he talking about?

Before he could ask, he heard the sound of Nell sitting up.

"Unh, Callen?" she asked, sounding groggy and disoriented.

"Yeah," he answered, trying to make his tone smooth, relaxed.

"What happened? Where are we?"

"We're on the interstate," Callen answered.

She gasped and in the mirror, he saw her lean forward, gripping the back of the seat.

"What's going-!"

She froze and Callen knew that she'd seen the gunman. He glanced over and indeed, the man's gun was now pointed at Nell.

"Hey," he said sharply. "You point that at me."

The gunman obliged and Callen felt Nell's small hand grip his shoulder.

"Callen?" she asked, her voice quivering slightly.

Taking one hand off the steering wheel, he squeezed her hand.

"It's gonna be OK, Nell. I promise."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, this would be an episode.**

**A/N: Again a double update for you patient readers! Thanks!  
**

Deeks peered underneath Hetty's Jag. He had no idea what Nell or Callen would be doing under there – or even if Callen would fit – but he still wanted to look.

What he'd said in the bullpen earlier had just been bravado. A part of him felt bad for not knowing more about Nell, and he felt guilty for not having invited her to drinks earlier.

"Anything?" Sam called when he'd gotten back to his feet.

"No," Deeks said, raising his fist to hit Hetty's car, then, realizing whose car he was hitting, settling for just patting it. "Where could they have gone?" he asked.

"Both their cars are still here," Sam mused, looking around. "I doubt they just went for a stroll without telling us."

"That's not all that's still here," Kensi called.

Deeks and Sam hurried towards her. She held a gun in one hand and looked at them. "It's Callen's. I found it over there by Larry's car."

"Larry?" Deeks repeated. "I've been calling him Jerry this whole time."

"Everyone does," Sam assured him. "Find anything else?" he asked Kensi.

"Not yet," she answered, handing him the gun and going to kneel down beside each and every car.

Deeks joined her and a few minutes later, as they knelt beside Eric's car, they each found a phone.

"Callen," Kensi said.

"And Nell," Deeks added, fingering the jewels on the phone.

"I've got a chloroformed rag over here," Sam called.

Both agents turned and saw Sam holding it by the tips of his fingers.

"But who was chloroformed?" Deeks asked, "Callen or Nell?"

"Does it matter?" Kensi retorted. "Obviously they were taken by someone."

"Yeah, but who were they after, Callen or Nell?" Sam wondered.

"If they were after Callen, why take Nell? Why take anyone, why not just…you know, shoot?" Deeks asked.

"And if they were after Nell, why grab her _and _Callen?" Kensi added. "Not just her."

"Why would someone be after Nell?" Sam asked in disbelief. "I mean, she's a techie."

"A techie with a mysterious past and knowledge of a lot of the most classified information in the city," Deeks added.

"Let's tell Hetty what we found," Kensi suggested. "Maybe she can shed some light on things."

Deeks nodded. If anyone knew anything about the young lab tech, it would be Hetty. The ninja knew everything about everyone.

Eric choked down a groan as he saw the team reenter the building – without Nell or Callen.

"They weren't in the lot," Sam reported. "We found their cellphones and a chloroform filled handkerchief."

"Want me to get Monty to sniff the hanky?" Deeks asked.

"No," Sam answered firmly before looking at Hetty. "Both cars are still in their places, and we didn't see any signs of a struggle."

"Which means they got the drop on Callen," Kensi added. "They probably grabbed Nell when she went out and then waited for Callen."

Hetty nodded.

"Mr. Beal, get ahold of our traffic cameras. See if you can find them. Mr. Deeks, contact your friends at the LAPD. Let's find our people," she announced.

Eric sprinted for the stairs, his flip flops slapping against the floor.

_Hang on, guys_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA.**

**A/N: I am SO SORRY for making you guys wait so long. The past several months have been, ahem, painful to say the least. But, I am back and would appreciate it if you guys would review this next chapter, if for no other reason than it will prompt me to keep going. Enjoy! Again, I am so sorry!  
**

"First house on the left."

Callen turned on his blinker. They'd gotten off the highway and entered a fairly wealthy neighborhood and were, apparently, nearing the end of their car ride.

He glanced around at some of the houses, impressed. Nell, surprisingly, didn't bat an eye when he commented how remarkable they were.

He pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. The Latino got out first, aiming his gun at Nell all the while, just to ensure that Callen didn't get any ideas. Then he urged the pair out of the car.

As soon as Nell and Callen were clear of the vehicle, she grabbed his arm and clung to it. He patted her hand, trying to help reassure her.

They were forced into the house and down a long hallway into what appeared to be a billiard room.

Several men were in there, playing pool, smoking, talking to beautiful women on their laps, etc.

One of them looked up and saw them and his face broke out into a grin. Lifting his hand, he snapped his fingers. The girls left, as did a few of the men, leaving a small group in the room.

The man who grinned tossed his pool cue to one of his lackeys and strolled over to them, rubbing his hands together.

"Ah, the mysterious Special Agent G. Callen," he chuckled. "Is it true that you do not know your real first name?"

His accent was Spanish, just like his employee's.

"What do you want?" Callen asked, not answering the question.

"Straight to business, then, eh? As you wish. My name is Santiago. I need something – a document, if you will – and I need someone to get it for me. That someone is you."

Callen didn't blink.

"So why have your lackey bring her?" he asked, glancing back at Nell, who was huddled behind him, peering fearfully at the strangers.

Santiago saw her and his gleeful, happy look vanished.

Instantly, he snapped his fingers and two more men came over and pulled the kidnapper over to Santiago, who began berating him in Spanish.

"Why'd you bring her?" he yelled in English. "Eh? You want me dead, is that it?"

"I figured we could use her as leverage against him," the man protested, looking at Callen.

"Oh you did, eh? Leverage against him," Santiago snorted. "What are we gonna use against _him_, eh? You better not be thinking we'd use her for leverage against _him_, because if you do, you should be put down for being so loco."

"He'll never know she was here!"

"What if she tells him, eh? What happens when he finds out that she was kidnapped? She's seen our faces, she could tell him the second she gets free."

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen."

Santiago chuckled bitterly.

"I hope you are not thinking what I think you are thinking," he warned his lackey. "Because to do that, it would be suicide!"

"He has no authority here!"

"What about the others, eh, smart one? Do you really think they'd let us get away with that? He has contacts in Los Angeles, my friend, contacts that would drag us kicking and screaming to him if he found out!"

"He won't find out!" the other man protested. "We'll kill her and hide her body!"

Nell let out the tiniest of whimpers.

Santiago chuckled again and patted the man on the shoulder, turning to walk away before suddenly spinning around, gun in hand, and shooting the man three times in the chest.

Nell screamed, burying her face in Callen's shoulder. He stared in horror at Santiago, who calmly holstered his gun and wiped some sweat off his forehead before saying something to the men in Spanish and turning towards Nell and Callen.

Staring past Callen, at Nell, he bowed his head slightly.

"I am sorry you had to witness that, Miss Jones. I never intended for him to bring you here. I promise you, you will not be harmed."

Then he snapped his fingers and another man stepped forward. "This man will take you and your friend to a comfortable room to wait until I determine what should be done."

Callen would've refused to go, but he was bursting with questions; questions he suspected Nell could answer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Don't own NCIS: LA...so, yeah.**

**A/N: Thank you all for your patience with me! Life has been rough and family issues have shoved all else to the back burner. But, here is the latest chapter. Please enjoy!**

"What have we got?" Sam asked, peering over Eric's shoulder.

"OK, there's Nell going out to her car…"

The entire team watched the figure grab her, the struggle, and then Nell slipped to the ground, unconscious. Eric bit back a cry of horror. _Why Nell?_

On the grainy video, Callen ran over to Nell and knelt beside her, but was then forced to shed his gun and their phones before carrying Nell to a black car and driving off.

"Eric," Sam barked.

"License plate running, it belongs to a Whitney Carter, she reported it stolen from her office parking lot this afternoon," Eric announced as the data flew up into the screen. "Searching local traffic cams for the car."

"Find them, Mr. Beal," Hetty ordered from the doorway. "The rest of you go to Ms. Jones' residence and see if you can find anything."

Eric didn't see anyone respond, but he heard them leave. He couldn't look away from the screen. Not this time.

"Are you sure this is the right address?" Deeks asked.

"Yep, according to Hetty," Kensi answered, unbuckling her seat belt and getting out of the car. As her partners did the same, Kensi took a moment to stare at the home in front of them. It was huge. It was bigger than Hetty's home, and that was saying something. It was in a nice neighborhood, and Kensi wouldn't be surprised if it turned out Nell had a butler.

Exhaling, she strode up to the house, Deeks and Sam following.

Nearing the huge, French doors, Sam pushed the doorbell.

"Doesn't sound like anybody's home," Deeks remarked.

Sam nodded to Kensi, who picked the lock. Moving quickly, they darted into the house and closed the door behind them. Guns drawn, they hurried around the house, checking every room to make sure that there was no one there.

Kensi got the second floor and was surprised to find out that not only did Nell live in the huge house, she'd furnished the whole thing, too. Nice carpets, beds, bathroom stuff, etc.

"Clear," Sam called from downstairs.

Shaking her head to clear it, Kensi rejoined the guys downstairs.

"Wow," Deeks said once they were all together, looking around. "This is _definitely_ not what I pictured Nell living in."

"How does she afford this on NCIS pay?" Sam asked.

"Only one way to find out," Kensi answered, motioning to where Nell's home computer sat.

Walking over, she sat down in the swivel chair – how Nell – and turned it on.

"This feels so creepy," she muttered as she waited for the thing to boot up.

"I know what you mean," Deeks answered, holding a photo that had been sitting on the desk.

"Put that back," Kensi ordered.

"Why?" Deeks asked. "It's not like I'm _stealing_ it."

"That is Nell's personal photo. Put it back," Kensi repeated.

Deeks did as he was told, raising his hands in surrender.

"Who is that with her?" Sam asked, motioning towards the photo.

"Dunno," Deeks answered as if the question had been asked to him personally.

"Let's find out," Kensi suggested, taking a photo of the picture with her phone and sending it to Eric before calling him.

"Eric, I just sent you a photo. See if you can figure out who the man with her is."

"On it."

Kensi set her phone on speaker and laid it on the desk. Faintly, she heard the computer keys clicking as Eric worked his magic. While she waited, she glanced at the screen. Password protected, of course.

"Uh, guys?"

Eric's voice sounded strange, even over the phone.

"What have you got, Eric?" Sam asked.

"Well, I got an ID on our mystery man. His name is Charles Swinton."

"I know that name," Deeks commented.

"You should. He's one of the most powerful crime lords in New York."


End file.
